12.30.2008

So, apparently when my eye itches along the same time as my arse, the correct order of operations is rub the eye before scratching said arse.

I don't know if I have conjunctivitis again or not...but my eye itches and is somewhat irritated. I went in last week before the holidays and got the Rx drops, but haven't used them yet as the doc said not to use them unless my eyelashes start sticking together or there's a discharge from the eyeball. Fairly easy things to look out for, I'd say. In any event, I have the drops.

My wife gave me the dopest Christmas present EVER and I'm going to post the 2 pix here for my 4 friends who read my blog (who are not on Facebook where the instant gratification of Blogger is quadrillified).

That's right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. It IS in fact the Marc Ecko StarWars Stormtrooper hoodie with the hood that zips all the way up and makes the mask.

I've said it before, but let me reiterate...I have the best wife ever!!!

And I really should be working at the moment, so I'll post more later.

12.29.2008

OK. So I'm looking for a great media player/organizer (I have WAY too many MP3's).

I don't have an iPod anymore so part of me is like 'dude....why use iTunes?'

But...dude. Apple did it right. I've gone through several other players and for organizing...it's still my fave.

VLCPlayer is really good for one-offs and quick launching.

Winamp just annoyed me.

I keep coming back to iTunes. There would be no question of using it or not if it supported other Devices (for example, my SansaView). I guess I'll just sell the Sansa and get a little Nano or something (since I've been listening to MP3's at work on the Netbook and haven't touched the View in like 2 weeks or so)....Then iTunes would be perfect again.

Not really much of a post, I know. But I've been on vacation. I'm rusty.

12.28.2008

Some things will be changing in the coming weeks. This blog will be largely abandoned...replaced by a new thang I'm working on. The new thing will be more of a private affair. More details to follow. Leave your email addy for me in the comments and I'll update y'all.

12.21.2008

Purposeburg is the children's ministry at International Christian Center. Their goal is to minister and teach the children, not just babysit them during the service.

In February, they are launching a new program. ICC came to International Media Group for us to build a campaign around the tagline they wanted to use 'Experience the WOW'

This is the first in a series of 8 commercials where the concept is that each person in the commercial is 'packing something in the box' to send to the next generation. They are going to encompass different generations, cultures, genders...in a way a mini-testimonial, but something that influenced their lives that they are passing on to the next generation (that's why it's getting boxed up and shipped to Purposeburg).

The first one is from the viewpoint of a doctor. Upcoming commercials will have a teacher, lawyer artist, musician, athlete, filmmaker, stay-at-home mom. Each one will air weekly with a specially packaged DVD at the end of the series.

I'm really excited about the series and really happy with how this one turned out.

12.18.2008

I just haven't had that much to say lately (a recurring opening, I suppose). I am still getting the hang of using the new netbook. Oh. I guess that's news, huh? I got this-Samsung NC10. The reasons are myriad, but the main rationalization is that my previous laptop (an Averatec 6210x60 which I had bumped up to 2GB of RAM from when I was still using it to edit video) was just getting under-utilized. The majority of my laptop work as of late has been to type, keep notes at the various meetings I'm going to (with greater frequency, it seems), and surfing the web to chat, check email, etc. Meanwhile Nancy was trying to remote in to her office and work on Sharepoint sites and other work on a POS Dell P3 900MHz. It seemed a little cheezy to me. So, I did my research...headed to MicroCenter, played around with a few of them. Settled on the MSI Wind and then wound up not getting it because of a glitch in the matrix. But that worked out for the best. I went back and started reading reviews. And while people liked the MSI Wind, they LOVED the Samsung. Saying the keyboard was bigger, the finish was 'more professional' and the battery life was phenomenal (6+ hours on a full charge). That sold me. I ordered it from Amazon. Had it in 2 days. Dropped an extra GB of RAM in there and away I went. That was last week.

And I'm still digging it. The size, the specs, everything I want a laptop for it does...and more. And Nancy has a better laptop to do her stuff on. So, I think it's win-win. And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

In other news, we're heading out to Maryland next week to see Nancy's dad and his wife and spend Christmas out there with them (And her sister's coming out, too). It's gonna be the first Christmas I haven't had at home for....my life, I guess. And it's the first Christmas Nancy's had with her dad in a long long time. It should be a good time. I'm actually looking forward to it.

And, my family is having Christmas Eve on Monday (we fly out to Maryland Tuesday), so we still get to spend time with them, which will be nice.

Work is fine. Survived the first round of...um...making changes in response to the economy (?)...we're told that the current crew is the one that's going to take us through 2009. It's tough, more work, blah, blah..but it's not as much work as starting over somewhere else.

Things at ICC (International Christian Center) are HOPPING. The Video/Multimedia Ministry is gaining momentum and 2009 is going to be a VERY busy year. As the head of the ministry, I had to submit a budget this year. That was a weird (and very grown-up) thing for me. We also had our first of the quarterly 'large-group training' sessions to get people up to speed on the goals and visions of the church, our ministry and our team. It went REALLY well. Turnout was lower than we'd hoped for, but I think the people that came really got a lot out of it-which was a blessing in itself.

Did I mention the netbook has a built-in webcam? Yeah. I know. Scares me too.

Alright. I'm gonna work on some other writing before crapping out for the night.Talk to you peeps later.

12.07.2008

This has been quite an interesting weekend. I don't remember much about Friday night. I think there was a trip to Bob Evans for dinner. Some minor shopping but beyond that not much going on. Other than the CAHRAZY pink trees at Marc's (I might post a picture later).

Saturday the snow came. And no, it wasn't a blizzard (but you wouldn't have known by the way people were driving around on the freeway).

Nancy was under the weather, so our plans for holiday shopping while the kids were with their other parents got tabled. We did need groceries, though. So Nancy made the list, I grabbed the list, my keys, and the last shred of my will to live and ventured out in to the idiocy that is ohio traffic during a snowfall.

It was my plan to head over to MicroCenter first (for the goodies) and then to Aldi (for the groceries).

Which leads me to the first of the big steaming piles. I went to MicroCenter to use the 'holiday check' that CrapitalOne had sent me (basically a way to spend a chunk of 'credit' at a greatly reduced rate). I had planned on getting a netbook (basically I had wanted to reduce the footprint of the notebook I've been carrying around to all these meetings I'm finding myself in these days (both at work and at church)-then Nancy would get my current notebook (since she's been doing more work from home with the Sharepoint stuff)). It was a great plan. I had everything in the cart and after some minor piles of steaming poo at the checkout, the big one dropped. The check clearinghouse that MicroCenter uses decided that the CrapitalOne check was 'not part of their normal check profile' so they declined it. So I left everything on the counter and walked out of the store. That, coupled with the CAHRAP customer service I'd gotten during the trip have pretty much ensured that I'll be doing my microCenter shopping online.

The second pile of poo was the traffic. Look. I know it's slippery (sort of), but it's NOT a blizzard. These are snow FLURRIES. People were causing more danger to themselves and others by being overly cautious. But, whatever.

Saturday night was uneventful. I had a MONSTER bologna sandwich so that was good.

This morning was interesting at church. It was interesting because I was thrown in to running sound for the second service until the backup sound person showed up (which had some inherent challenges). And then because we were short of camera people, I wound up running a camera (it's VERY hard to have a director/producer/edtior behind a camera taking direction from another director :-)

The best part was the message was about Jesus washing the disciples' feet and explaining that the way to greatness was to serve. It was like I was getting my own tailor made, real-life example of the message coming to life.

I love it when the Lord decides to hit me right between the eyes with the message :-)

12.02.2008

It is my distinct pleasure, as the president of Americans for Limited Government, to invite you today to become a key member of the exciting new conservative “bloggers central,” NetRightNation.com.

At ALG, we recognize the critical role you as a blogger play in gathering, assimilating, and disseminating news and commentary. And I, personally, am deeply grateful to you for taking the lead in fighting some of the most important battles our country has faced over the past decade, and more.

That's why I am so pleased to announce that NetRightNation.com is providing bloggers like you, the mainstream media, politicians, and other opinion leaders free, instant access to nearly 60,000 conservative blogs nationwide. And counting.

As a complete service bureau, NRN provides you a wide new array of blogger opportunities. As a featured blogger on NRN, you will be able to post your own blogs and interface with other like-minded bloggers nationwide. You will soon be able to “claim” your blog and customize your blog profile.

Information on NRN – blogs, as well as Twitter feeds -- will be divided by state, as well as by issue, to make it easy for you and others to access. NRN will also include a sophisticated search engine function and will soon have the capability for you to subscribe to customized email blog feeds on your topics of choice. Stay tuned, for these features will soon be online!

And all of that is just the beginning. In fact, I have asked ALG's Director of New Media, Adam Bitely, to follow up on this note with a letter of his own providing you the exciting details on how NRN can help you grow your own blog.

Above all, we want to make sure NRN is all that you, an important member of the conservative blogosphere, want it to be. So, as you visit NetRightNation.com, I urge you to please give us your input on how to make it the valuable asset we are committed to providing, at absolutely no charge.

Thank you for all that you are doing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bill WilsonPresident, Americans for Limited Government###

Americans for Limited Government is a non- partisan, nationwide network committed to advancing free market reforms,private property rights and core American liberties. For more information on ALG please call us at 703-383-0880 or visit our website at www.GetLiberty.org.____________________________________________________________________This has to be a joke, right? It's like the interweb version of getting 'punk'd'...right? Because anyone who knows me knows that I am CLEARLY not a conservative. And by no stretch would my blog be considered part of the 'consertative blogosphere.'

It's probably the same person that put my name on the GOP's mailing list (dude...that isht was not cool...especially during the month of October).

Alright. That's all I got. I just had to share...because that made me laugh....outloud...now I gotta go clean up the powdered donuts that I spit out from laughing.